Standing In The Way
by DragonShadow
Summary: Blossom has always been there to help and guide Bubbles through life, but how long should she keep her sister under a cover?


Standing In The Way  
  
  
The darkness of the night stretched over the city like a blanket, with the moon fighting its eternal struggle to bring light down to the land. The pale moonlight made the city look eerie this night, so calm and still that it was almost easy to believe it was little more than a ghost town. Still even in this sea of utter tranquility there was something stirring, a handful of shapes that flitted through the night in a panicked run. Their footsteps pounding on the asphalt rang like a drum, practically a beacon to their pursuers.  
  
"Did we lose them Jake?" One of the boys panted as the group ducked just inside of a back alley. The boys leaned against the walls wearily after their long flight, unused to such a strenuous workout.  
  
"I think so... I think we're home free." One of the other boys replied with a victorious grin. The others raised their cloth bags high into the air in victory, but their cries didn't last too long.  
  
"Men, always think out of sight means out of mind." They all went cold and whirled toward the entrance of the alley where a single dark shape floated in front of the pale moon, silhouetted in the darkness. Her dress floated about her in the wind and her hair flowed in front of her as though she were in a river.  
  
"Damnit! We lost you!" The boys turned to run, but they promptly slammed into another figured floating in the darkness in front of them. They backed into each other, looking desperately for a way out that wasn't already blocked by their captors.  
  
"Give back the money." A higher pitched voice spoke from the shadows deeper in the alley. A twenty-five year old woman floated out of the shadows with her long, blond hair floating on the breeze behind her. Her emerald blue eyes bore into theirs, while her sisters' fiery pink ones challenged them to escape.  
  
"Just make us come!" One of the boys exclaimed, pulling out a pocketknife. The other boys blinked in surprise and whirled on him, throwing him toward Bubbles and dropping to their knees.  
  
"We'll come peacefully, just don't hurt us!" The boys echoed each other while their more courageous friend glared at them.  
  
"What you can't take two stupid women?" He demanded. From behind him Bubbles grabbed the wrist with the knife and jerked it sharply up behind his back, nearly yanking his arm out of the socket. "I... I guess not... Urgh..." He grunted with pain and clenched his eyes shut.  
  
Blossom floated into the midst of the others, staring down at them. "What is the point of all this? Hm? A few bucks to buy a few guns you can use to get a few MORE bucks?" She landed on the ground and started to pace around them, her leather boots beating on the ground rhythmically. "I would have just kicked your butts once but..." she kneeled down in front of one, who was practically shaking from fear. "I've learned a bit since then..."  
  
"Just let us go, we didn't mean to hurt anyone we were just looking for some money." The boy pleaded, with his buddies echoing the sentiment.  
  
"You're a bunch of young guys, you make mistakes... so I'll make you a deal." Blossom told him, grabbing his head and bringing him close to whisper in his ear. "I'll let you off this time, so you can go home and continue your lives on a GOOD path or... you can keep this up, and I'll be twice as bad on you next time as I would have been this time. Do we have a deal?"  
  
"Yeah, definitely." All of the boys started chattering at once, agreeing with her terms without a word of complaint.  
  
"Alright, now get out of here before your moms miss you." Blossom stood up and turned to walk toward Bubbles, letting the teenage boys scramble out of the alley and run down the street.  
  
"What about me? Don't I get a deal?" The remaining gang member asked with a grin.  
  
"Hardly, there's always a ringleader, and he's ALWAYS stupid enough to differentiate himself from the rest." Blossom smirked. "Come on Bubbles, let's get him down to the station and call it a night."  
  
"Finally, I thought we'd be out here forever." Bubbles groaned, jerking her captive's arm as she followed her sister out of the alley. Once again, the night was saved thanks to the Powerpuff Girls, since crime could never sleep and let them get a moments peace.  
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Bubbles yawned and threw herself down on the couch in the nice sized house her and Blossom shared. Buttercup had moved away three years before, so it was just those two left in Townsville, though by most accounts one would have been enough. She kicked her boots off and rubbed her feet, pouting as she looked up at Blossom.  
  
"Can we start sleeping? I work early you know." Bubbles pouted as she did every time they received a call in the middle of the night. Blossom couldn't blame her, but no matter what their schedules were they couldn't neglect their duty to Townsville. Besides, their respective jobs had agreed to pay them even if they didn't show up for work as long as they were saving the city.  
  
"I know how you feel Bubbles, but we can't just ignore crime, even at night." Blossom told her blond sister. Sometimes she wondered why Bubbles hadn't grown out of her more childish intuitions yet, they were twenty-five years old already and she still whined like a kid sometimes.  
  
"Oh alright..." Bubbles yawned, pulling her tights off under her dress and throwing them behind the couch. She didn't even bother changing into her nightgown, she just sprawled out on the couch without a care in the world. "Well if I spill something... it's your fault..." She yawned again, her eyes already half closed.  
  
"Yeah... I know..." Blossom shook her head and picked up her sisters' tights, staring down at her. She had already fallen asleep, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm with her breath. Sometimes she worried about Bubbles, she wasn't maturing too much at all... she had to do something to help. Even Mike Believe hadn't been able to get her to grow up... there had to be something they were missing.  
  
She sighed and took the tights into the back to throw them in the laundry room before she went upstairs to her own bedroom. She silently promised herself she would start looking for a way to make Bubbles more independent from now on, after all Blossom couldn't take care of her ALL the time.  
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Bubbles floated down the street, pushing her legs behind her like she was skating down the street though her feet didn't touch the ground. She did a few jumps off of manhole covers and various other ramps that would have been impressive if she hadn't been able to fly. Still those who saw her couldn't help but smile at the enthusiastic exhibition the blond haired Powerpuff put on. She never got tired of life, and she had fun with every moment.  
  
She 'skated' in the door of the pizza place and jumped over the counter, stopping in mid air before she hit the back wall and floating down to the ground. It was a modest job, being a pizza delivery girl, but she made a much better living than many store managers. People were willing to pay surprisingly high prices for pizzas delivered in a matter of seconds.  
  
"If you're finished you've already got eight deliveries." Her manager told her with a frown. He was the only person who didn't enjoy her showboating, though she suspected he only hid it because he was her boss.  
  
"Yes sir, let me at 'em." Bubbles saluted with a playful grin. He hefted the stack of pizzas off the counter and handed them to her, struggling to keep them upright. She held them in one arm and took the piece of paper from him, looking down at it. She smirked when she saw the last order on the list, made less than a minute ago.  
  
"Remember, the longer you take the less they pay so get to it." The manager reminded her.  
  
"Be back in a jiffy." Bubbles took off through the door in a flash of blue light, streaking through the sky with the pizzas held easily in one hand. She delivered them one by one, collecting the fee and the tips, which were easily double those of other pizza places. She sometimes wasn't sure if she liked being used to make more money, but she didn't want Blossom to be the only one paying for everything they had, so she learned to deal with it.  
  
When she reached the last house she landed and walked up to the door, knocking loudly. It opened in a few moments and Mike smiled out at her, opening the screen door between them. She smirked and shoved the pizza box into his chest, though she couldn't keep her gruff demeanor up very long.  
  
"I ordered that five minutes ago, it's twenty-five percent off isn't it?" Mike teased.  
  
"You know, you should stop wasting your money on pizza just so you can lure me here." Bubbles said with genuine concern in her voice. He wasn't the most well-off person she knew, he struggled just to make the electricity bill quite often. It bugged her that he had a knack of ordering the special from her work just to see her.  
  
"Hey, when else do I get a chance to see you these days?" Mike replied, handing her the insane amount of money that her company charged for her services. She counted out the price and handed him back what should have been her tip.  
  
"Really, I do like seeing you, you know I do, but I hate to see you waste money on me." Bubbles held the money out for him, but he didn't take it back. Finally she jammed it into his shirt pocket and stepped back, staring at him. "I mean it, if I see you order another pizza from me I'll tell them to stop delivering to this house."  
  
"Alright, I get it..." Mike replied softly, giving her a soft smile. He opened the box and held a slice out to her. "Want a slice? You do have great pizza down there."  
  
"No thanks, I'm working..." Bubbles looked down at her hands, then looked up at the sky. "Look, come over to my place after work and we'll talk, okay?" She told him.  
  
"After, you talk to Blossom." Mike added. She glared at him, narrowing her eyes before she whirled and stomped off of the porch. "Hey come on Bubbles, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it." He started to chase after her, but she took off into the sky in a streak of blue light and went back to the pizza place where she worked. She went inside and put her money in the register, putting her tips in her wallet.  
  
"You're a little late Bubbles, getting slow in your old age?" Her manager asked with a smug smirk. She glared at him darkly, shutting him up before he could make any more comments. Sometimes she liked having superpowers, it stopped people from trying to pick on her when she wasn't in the mood.  
  
He was about to speak again, but her beeper went off just then, vibrating against her hip. She looked down and checked it, seeing the address of the Townsville Harbor displayed on the screen. "I'll be back in a while." She told her boss just before she streaked out through the door again, this time heading toward the ocean.  
  
When she got there she found a mound of skin and boned sitting on the docks, roughly ten times bigger than she was. She blinked and looked around, wondering if someone had already stopped it when one tendril of something shot toward her. She lunged to the side just in time to avoid a sharp bone fragment that would have impaled her.  
  
"Alright you... uh... disgusting thing! You're going down!" She streaked down toward the mound, swinging one fist as hard as she could. It sunk into the substance that almost looked like pure muscle, and she was thrown back again in a moment when it snapped back up. She got control of herself again before another tendril could nail her.  
  
"Watch out Bubbles!" Bubbles looked up to see Blossom streaking toward them in a flash of pink light. Bubbles backed away from the creature, moving out of its reach as Blossom flew in to take her place. Several tendrils tried to grab her, but Blossom maneuvered easily through the attack and streaked down under the wooden docks.  
  
She used her heat vision to set the wood ablaze from underneath, sending burning flames searing up into the creature. It let out a furious howl and tried to move out of the way, but its own mass prevented it from getting very far. After only a minute its eight made the wood underneath it give way, sending it plummeting into the ocean.  
  
Blossom streaked down to the water and blazed along the surface in a pinpoint of pink light. The water swelled up where she passed until she streaked straight up through the hole in the docks, bringing a spray of water up with her to put out the remaining flames. The crowd that had gathered applauded and cheered as she floated up by her sisters' side.  
  
"Are you okay Bubbles?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay." Bubbles replied, smiling. "That was really cool Blossom, I wish I could think of stuff like that." She said.  
  
"Don't worry about it..." Blossom told her, though there was a dark undertone in her voice Bubbles couldn't identify. She didn't have time to dwell on it though before they were assaulted by the press from below them. The usual celebration was already starting, the one they went through every time they saved the day. This was almost worse than saving the day itself.  
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Later that night when both of the girls were off work, they hung out in their living room letting off some steam in front of the TV. Bubbles watched with mild interest but Blossom's mind was off somewhere else entirely. She was growing more concerned by the day, and now that she was looking, she realized Bubbles really did depend on her more than either of them realized. It didn't look like it was getting any better either...  
  
"Blossom, can I talk to you about something?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Sure Bubbles, what is it?"  
  
"Well... Mike had me take him a pizza again today and he said something about me talking to you before he came over tonight..." Bubbles said, staring at her crimson-eyed sister. "Like I can't think or anything... that's not true is it?" She asked.  
  
"Well... what do you think?" Blossom asked, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm sure Mike didn't want to insult you, we both know he likes you."  
  
"Yeah..." Bubbles sighed and put her hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling. "That's why I've been thinking... what if it's true? I mean, I do everything I can, is it my fault I can't do everything everyone wants me to..." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Is it my fault I don't know what to do about some things?"  
  
"No Bubbles..." Blossom replied softly, looking down at the floor. "It's not your fault..." They both jumped at a loud knock on the front door. "I'll let you two talk it out..." She got up and went into the other room, leaving bubbles staring after her. Normally Blossom would hang around and try to help them hammer things out... she couldn't understand why she wouldn't now.  
  
Blossom hid in her room, using her x-ray vision to watch Bubbles answer the door and let Mike in, leading him over to the couch. She watched them talk calmly, watched her sister struggling to find the right things to say. Blossom shook her head and closed her eyes, putting her hands on her head.  
  
[You're not ready for the world outside.  
You keep pretending, but you just can't hide.  
I know I said that I'd be standing by your side...  
But I...  
  
Your path's unbeaten, and it's all uphill.  
You can meet it, but you never will.  
And I'm the reason, that you're standing still.  
But I...]  
  
Blossom got up from the bed and walked over to the window, staring outside at the fading orange light of dusk as the night began to cover the land. She clenched the window in her hands and stared up at the clouds overhead. They floated through the sky with a serenity she only wished her heart could mimic right now. Still, she couldn't find it anywhere, no matter where she looked as long as she saw that expression in Bubbles' eyes...  
  
[I wish I could say the right words, to lead you through this land.  
Wish I could play the mother, and take you by the hand.  
Wish I could stay... but now I understand.  
I'm standing, in the way...  
  
The cries around you, you don't hear at all.  
'Cause you know I'm here, to take that call.  
So you just lie there when you should be standing tall...  
But I...]  
  
She whirled and walked over to the door, but she stopped right I front of it, staring right through the thick wood at her sister sitting on the couch with her boyfriend. They were talking seriously, but she could see the worried, almost panicked expression on Bubbles' face. She'd done too much to make her sisters' life easy and try to lead her through everything... help her out... and now she depended on Blossom to help her make almost every decision... help her through every battle.  
  
[I wish I could lay your arms down, and let you rest at last.  
Wish I could slay your demons, but now that time has passed.  
With I could stay... here stalwart, standing fast.  
But I'm standing... in the way.  
I'm just standing... in the way.]  
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The morning's first light provided no comfort for a heart that had been forced to make a hard decision. Blossom barely let herself think as she packed the suitcase with her clothing and possessions, still not quite sure how she should tell Bubbles. She would not be moving out for a few days, until she found a place to move, but she knew if she wasn't ready to go the day she found somewhere she could never make herself actually leave.  
  
She plopped down on the bed, sitting on the edge with her head in her hands. It was tearing her apart just trying to pack, the idea of leaving poor, innocent little Bubbles behind. She reached over and grabbed the phone, dialing quickly and putting it to her ear to wait. She only had to wait one ring before Buttercup's pleasantly familiar voice came back.  
  
"Yeah?" She asked, not even trying to sound professional.  
  
"How did you do it...?" Blossom's voice wavered slightly as she spoke. "How did you actually make yourself leave Townsville...?" She asked.  
  
"Blossom? What on Earth is going on?" Buttercup asked.  
  
"I have to move away, I have to leave... but I just can't, I can't leave everyone and especially Bubbles..." Blossom said, putting one hand on her head. "How did you actually do it Buttercup?"  
  
"Well it was easy... it only takes one of us to fight crime now really, and the more spread out we are, the more crime we can fight." Buttercup told her logically. "Besides, I was getting tired of all of Bubbles' wining anyway." She added.  
  
"I guess... I just don't know how I can leave Bubbles alone, she's still so helpless and innocent no matter how old we get..." Blossom pointed out.  
  
"Easy, trust her." Buttercup replied. "She is a whining baby and she is annoying... but she does have her own mind and everything and she can fight on her own. I'm sure if you move away she'll just start figuring everything out on her own... like I did."  
  
"Wait... like you did?" Blossom asked.  
  
"Well sure... to tell you the truth Blossom that's why I left. I got tired of always having you leading the charge and moderating... I wanted to get out and have complete charge over my own life." Buttercup told her. "It was easy letting you come up with all the plans and having all the ideas... too easy to stop, so I took your plans out of the picture."  
  
"Well I hope Bubbles understands... maybe me moving away won't be SO bad after all..." Blossom looked down at the floor and smiled slightly. "You know, you ARE sounding more mature than when you left..."  
  
"Now you're just getting mushy." Buttercup countered. "So I think I'll let you go before you go into a crying fit." Blossom chuckled. "Keep in touch, let me know how everything goes." Buttercup said.  
  
"I will... thanks." Blossom hung up the phone and sat for a few minutes, trying to think. She hoped her sister was right and this really was best... she thought it was, it would do Bubbles good to live on her own for a little while and not have anyone to help her make decisions for her, she just hoped she understood that it was for the best...  
  
"Blossom? We're gonna be late for work. You coming...?" Bubbles poked her head in the room, but stopped when she saw the suitcase on the bed. "Are we going somewhere?" She asked.  
  
"No Bubbles... we're not... I am..." Blossom replied, her voice fading below a whisper. Bubbles blinked and just stared at her for a minute.  
  
"Blossom? Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"Bubbles... you're going to be late for work." Blossom said looking away from her. "We'll talk tonight when we get off, okay?"  
  
"Well okay..." Bubbles still looked worried, but she didn't press the matter any further for now. "Hey whatever it is, it'll be fine Blossom, you'll see." Bubbles smiled before she turned to head to her room and get ready for work. Always the optimist... Blossom only wished she could be so sure about everything, it would be so much easier.  
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Bubbles floated to work more slowly than usual, not even bothering with her usual aerial gymnastics. Her sister had seemed so sullen this morning... something had to be wrong. She didn't even notice when Mike left his house to walk beside her with his hands shoved into his pockets. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she finally noticed him.  
  
"Geeze, what are you doing?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Stalking you technically." Mike replied, smiling. "But I'll call it following... and worrying. Did something happen with Blossom this morning?" He asked her gently.  
  
"I don't know... she was in her room and she was packing her clothes in a suitcase... she said we'll talk tonight but I can't help but worry that something is going to happen..." Bubbles replied, looking down at the ground.  
  
"She was packing? Are you guys planning on moving somewhere?" Mike asked nervously. He obviously didn't like the idea of bubbles going anywhere, they'd been together for many years already.  
  
"I don't think so..." Bubbles whispered back. She jumped when she felt the beeper on her hip start vibrating erratically. The monster attacks were getting earlier and earlier, she didn't even make it to work... or was it because she was moving slower than normal? Well like it mattered. She checked it to find the address. "Can we talk again when I get through with this?" She asked.  
  
"Of course, don't let me stop you." Mike replied, stepping away from her. Bubbles smiled and took off from the ground in a flash of blue light, streaking toward the Townsville nuclear plant. She hoped Blossom got there soon, she didn't like fighting near big power sources, it always made her nervous that she would hit the wrong thing and destroy the entire city.  
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"Are you sure about this Blossom?" Blossom sighed as his boss pleaded with her for the fifth time to reconsider her decision to be relocated. She knew she was one of the best record-keepers he had, she could find a file he wanted by just glancing around the room, but she was determined not to let him or anyone else make her budge.  
  
"Yes I am, I'm sorry but I have to leave Townsville and I have to find a new job before I can do that." Blossom turned to go in her office and closed the door behind her before he could follow her in. She sighed and walked over to her desk to start piling her personal belongings in a big box she'd brought to help carry it all.  
  
She jumped when she felt the beeper at her waist start vibrating. She dropped the box and grabbed it, studying the display on the top. She started toward the window, but stopped with her hand on the handle. She stared down at the pager with a blank stare, her hands shaking slightly as she read the address. Every instinct and feeling told her to go now... but she closed her fist around the pager.  
  
"Trust her... she has to do it alone..." Blossom told herself, gently lowering her hand to put the pager on the windowsill. "She can do it..." She turned back and walked away from the window, leaving the pager vibrating against the cold glass of the window. She walked back over to the desk and put her hands on the wood, fighting herself for a moment before she returned to packing her things away for the move. Still... she couldn't help but hesitate...  
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Bubbles landed on the ground just outside the power plant with several dozen workers scattered about outside. She approached one man who was staring up at the enormous building with his hand on his chin. Two large smokestacks at the top of the building were practically bursting with a pale green light, emitted from the tops like flashlights.  
  
"We've got to get that thing out of there so we can shut down the reactor... with nobody watching it, it could overload at any time." The worked told the Powerpuff Girls without any prompting whatsoever.  
  
"What is the monster exactly?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"I don't know, I didn't actually see it, everyone who DID is still in there..." The worker looked over at her with a meaningful gaze. Bubbles gulped to herself and turned to walk up to the entrance of the power plant, moving slowly so as not to alert anything as she made her cautious way inside.  
  
"Are there any survivors?" She called softly with her hands cupped over her mouth. She floated off the ground and flew through the halls so her footsteps wouldn't give away her position. She floated into the main room, but halted dead in her tracks when she saw the carnage and disarray. There were holes torn in most of the wall, along with bullet holes in the machinery and control panels from where the workers had tried to fight back.  
  
"Hello!" Bubbles called more loudly, hoping to find someone alive in the carnage. She stopped when she heard a soft sound of something scraping on metal from behind her. It sounded like it was coming from the steel plated ceiling directly above her. She turned her head upward slowly, seeing a monstrous, almost spider-like monster staring back down at her with dozens of eyes on the front.  
  
It let out a shriek and leapt from the ceiling, but Bubbles dodged to the side and streaked over to the far wall, whirling to watch as the thing slammed into the ground, whirling around without missing a beat. It was shaped like a spider, but there was something different about it. From school Bubbles knew spiders had skeletons on their outside, and that restricted their legs movement like her own skeleton did, but this ones legs moved and whirled like whips as it charged toward her.  
  
It leapt from the ground again, flying through the air at a surprising speed. Bubbles streaked to the side, but the spider slammed into the wall and scurried after her without taking an instant to rest, it's whip like legs tearing into the wall right behind the Powerpuff Girl.  
  
Bubbles turned away from the wall, but the spider flung itself after her, clinging to the rafters on the ceiling so it could swing at her with a few free legs. The Powerpuff Girls whirled and dodged each strike, finally grabbing one leg and whirling to throw the creature down toward a broken pipe that stuck up from the ground. It almost hit home, but its legs held it up by sticking straight down and digging themselves into the ground itself, now as solid as steel poles.  
  
"It can't be both ways..." Bubbles muttered to herself, but even as she watched it moved out of the way of the broken piping. The armor-like skeleton on its legs was now solid, but in a moment it relaxed somewhat and stuck out from the legs in spirals, almost like a spitting dinosaur she'd seen in movies a few times before. She didn't have time to dwell on it though as the spider reoriented on her and leapt up toward her.  
  
Bubbles scrambled out of the way, barely getting clear before the creature tore into the ceiling light she'd been floating in front of. Sparks flew every which way as the creature ripped the light fixture to shreds before it realized she had gotten away. It whirled and shot after her again, but Bubbles streaked down toward the ground again, heading to a small control room with a broken glass window.  
  
Bubbles took a moment to pry several large pieces of glass out of the window frame, whirling on the spider as it charged in on her. She took one piece of glass in her throwing arm and brought it back, waiting as the thing snaked its way toward her. Its shrieks of victory echoed through the destroyed plant, the rapid clink of its feet against the steel floor sounding like a drum.  
  
Finally Bubbles let a piece of glass fly, sending it whirling through the air in a wide arc toward the things legs. It flew right past the first three lest of legs, but on the fourth it flew right inside the pieces of bone that had opened to allow for the things dexterity. The glass severed the back right leg near the very top, sending the thing stumbling back with the lost support. It let out a shriek of rage, but still it lunged after her, hobbling.  
  
Bubbles watched the bony armor on the spider's legs close up as it ran except for the very top where they were angled downward, looking more like pieces of steel than a spider's legs. It swung the front two legs in wide arcs, but Bubbles whirled and dodged the strikes, floating up from the ground. She was about to fly away again, but one leg slammed into her stomach hard, sending her flying back against one of the control consoles in a shower of sparks.  
  
"Blossom!" Bubbles screamed as the spider bore down on her, taking advantage of its successful blow. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as her scream echoed through the empty chamber, reverberating off the walls... but there was no response. Bubbles stared up at the creature as he lunged down toward her, its legs rising up to come down on top of her. Blossom was nowhere in sight... she was alone.  
  
As suddenly as it slowed everything burst back into furious action and Bubbles grabbed the two solid legs, straining to hold them up just above her head. The spider gave a shriek and snapped at her with its jaws. Bubbles tried to move her stomach away from the sharp pincer-like jaws, finally bring her feet up to slam them into the bottom of its head. She let fly with a series of rapid kicks, slamming into its eyes and head everywhere they could reach.  
  
Finally she brought her legs back and put her feet together, thrusting them forward at once. They slammed into the spider's face with enough force to send it hurtling back against the far wall, punching a hole through the solid steel wall into another room. Bubbles grabbed a piece of the steel desk and ripped off a torn piece of it, jagged at the end and extremely sharp.  
  
She leapt to her feet when the spider charged back into the room, lunging at her again. She swung the piece of steel like a staff, knocking its legs away in showers of particles as metal cut into bone, cutting into it slowly but surely. She stumbled when one leg managed to slam into her side, but she raised the steel over her head and brought it down with enough force to cut the leg in half right through the bone.  
  
The spider let out another shriek and started to back off, but Bubbles pressed her advantage, swinging the piece of steel like a sword in wide arcs. The spider deflected a few with one armored leg before she wore the bone down to nothing and cut that leg in half as well, lunging for the head once she was clear. She brought the steel up over her head and let out a howl, coming down on top of it.  
  
The sharp steel sliced right through the spider's face, cutting it right in half though it was still attached to the body. The spider trembled and lunged forward one more time in a spastic twitch before it crumbled to the ground, falling limp. She stood up straight, holding the piece of steel in her hands and staring down at it, panting. She dropped the steel and let out a sigh, wiping her forehead.  
  
"Where is Blossom...?" She asked nobody in particular, She shook her head and turned to leave, holding one hand over her side where the creature's leg had connected. She grabbed one of the spider's legs to drag it with her as well. She wasn't feeling too good at the moment, but it wasn't just her injuries that pained her...  
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Blossom streaked through the sky as fast as she could, leaving a pink light trail behind her. She didn't know what she'd been thinking, not even going to make sure her sister didn't need her. She couldn't just outright abandon her, she had to at least tell her before she started trying to move away. She had to tell her the next time she saw her, right after she helped get rid of whatever menace this was.  
  
She landed on the ground next to one of the workers, walking up to him. "Is Bubbles already inside?" She asked.  
  
"She went in fifteen minutes ago, we haven't seen anything since, just heard some commotion and impacts from inside." The worker replied. Blossom nodded and started to head toward the building, but she stopped when she saw someone emerging.  
  
Bubbles walked out of the building, dragging the body of what looked like a giant spider behind her. The crowd stood in hushed silence, but slowly they worked themselves up into a frenzy, for once not chanting the usual Powerpuff Girls mantra, but instead calling for Bubbles alone. The blond puff looked around at everyone in surprise, her eyes scanning the noisy crowd almost in disbelief.  
  
When Bubbles spotted her sister standing by the side of the crowd, she dropped its foot to the ground, leaving it near the entrance as she walked up to Blossom, holding her side. Bubbles simply stared at her sister with a questioning glare, obviously hurt. The crowd had quieted, and most had begun cleanup of the body and the power plant, but many hung around to watch the confrontation.  
  
"I... I should have known you could do it." Blossom told her with a soft smile.  
  
"Where were you?" Bubbles asked. "What's going on?"  
  
"Bubbles..." Blossom sighed, shaking her head. "I was cleaning out my stuff from work... I'm... moving away."  
  
"Blossom, no, I don't want you to go. I could have died in there, I could have lost, I almost did..." Bubbles said.  
  
"But you didn't." Blossom put her hands on her sisters' shoulders, shaking her firmly. "You can do anything I can Bubbles, anything I can and much more... the only thing stopping you... is me." Blossom's voice lowered to a whisper as she spoke, but her sister could still hear her perfectly. "Come on... we have a few days at least before I find a place and move out... let's spend some great time together before that." She smiled.  
  
"Okay... I'd like that." Bubbles replied, smiling back. They turned away from the power plant with their arms around each other's backs and walked away. Blossom had quit her job and Bubbles probably wouldn't get in too much trouble for missing one day considering how successful she was. They could afford to spend some time together, for these last few days.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Several weeks later, a cold night wind blew through the air with the moons pale light making everything glow with a gentle white haze. It reflected off the moisture on the ground from the light ran earlier in the day, making the shadows cast by the fleeing kids stand out even more sharply by contrast. The water on the ground was sent flying as the kids splashed through it, running into the Townsville park and ducking into one of the overhangs that was meant to provide shade for the citizens.  
  
"Man, I can't believe we actually pulled it off." One of the boys said with a broad grin on his face. They all let out stark, almost disbelieving laughs that they'd actually managed to do what nobody else in Townsville had done before.  
  
"If it seems too good to be true, it is." They all whirled to see a dark shape silhouetted in shadows by the moonlight as her back. Two of the boys looked ready to take off, but the others just lowered their heads and dropped the bags of money on the ground, knowing full well there was nothing they could do at this point.  
  
"Damnit, and I thought we managed to get away without anyone seeing us..." One of the boys grumbled. The others grumbled among themselves nervously, not sure what to do now.  
  
Bubbles floated out of the Shadow's light and landed amid the boys, looking down at them. "You know, I could just kick your butts right now and throw you all in jail... but I don't really like violence." She told them, pacing around them with her hands on her hips. "So you know what... you five are free to go... but if I catch you trying anything again, it will be double the punishment it would have been this time, agreed?"  
  
"Yeah. Sure. Is she serious?" The kids mumbled among themselves, but most responded instantly and affirmatively.  
  
"Alright, get out of here." Bubbles told them. The entire gang of boys started to leave, but she grabbed two of their arms before they could follow the rest.  
  
"Hey, what gives?" One demanded, though the other one didn't even turn around, just sighing in resignation.  
  
"The ones who wanna get away are always the ones who have the most to hide, like gathering up this posse in the first place." Bubbles replied, giving him a droll glare. "Jail for you two." She took off into the night without giving them a chance to say anymore, streaking through the dark night sky toward the Townsville prison. She dropped them off and handed them over to the police before she flew away again, this time heading for her house.  
  
As she flew she couldn't help her gaze being drawn toward the moon, shining down on her with its gentle light. Blossom had always loved it, especially when she could fight crime by it, but Bubbles had never seen anything too special about it. Now though she realized why Blossom always appreciated it, she could finally see everything for herself instead of looking through her sister. She could finally see everything on her own, with her own strength, and her own heart.  
  
THE END  
  
(Song "Standing In The Way" not written by me) 


End file.
